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2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Mode-1.)

J. B. SUPPERN.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented Oct. 4, 1887.

ATTORNEYS.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. B. SUFPERN.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented Oct. 4, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC JAMES B. SUFFERN, OF HILLBURN, NEWV YORK.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,988, dated October 4:, 1887.

Application filed April 9. 18. Serial No. 234.233.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

lever, G, having a forked end,which embraces Be it known that 1, JAMES B. SUFFERN, of i the switch-bar F, and is providedwith a bolt, Hillburn, in the county of Rockland and State awhich passes through theslot b of the switchof New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming a part 5 thereof, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a'switch embody.- ing my improvement. tion of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan View of my improvement, showing the parts in position to cause the engine to keep on the main track; and Fig.4is a cross-section of the same on the line :0 x in Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts in all the views.

with a track -lever adapted to operate the switch-bar, of a locking and releasing device connected with the switchbar and adapted to lock the track-lever, so as to cause it to move the switch-bar when engaged by the car-wheels,

and thus close the switch, or to release the track-lever, so that a passing train will pro duce no efiect upon the switch-bar, thereby permitting the train to take a side track.

The main-track rails A B are arranged with reference to the switch-rails O D in the usual waytha't is to say, the switch-rail D is provided with a tapered end, a, adjoining .the track-rail B, and the switch-rail 0 forms a portion of the main track, while the main-track rail A is connected permanently with the siding-rail E. The switch-rail D and the sidingrail E therefore form the siding, while the main-track rail A, the switchrail C, and the main-track rail B form the main track. The rails CD are fixed at one end and arranged to spring at their free tapered ends, the free ends being attached to a switch-bar, F, which is connected with a switch-stand of any approved construction. The switch-bar F is provided with a slot, 1), near the center thereof, and to one of the ties, a short distance from the-points of the switch-rails, is pivoted a curved track- Fig. 2 is a side eleva- I bar. The convex side of the curved tracklever G is normally in contact with the track rail 13, leaving wedge-shaped openings (Z upon either side of the point of cont-act between the convex side of the traclclever and the rail B,

so that a car-wheel passing along the rail Bin either direction would throw the tracklever G away from the rail B.

Upon the side of the switch-bar F is pivoted a weighted cam lever, H, embraced by ayoke,

I, connected with a slide, J, placed on the switchbar F beyond the forked end of the track-lever G. By means of the camlever H the slide J may be locked in position remote from the slot 1) of the switch-bar F, so as to permit of the free movement of the traclelever G without moving the switch-bar; or it may be locked against the side of the track-lever, so

as to prevent. the track'lever from moving without moving the slide J and the bar F. When the lever H is raised, the track-lever is free; but when the said lever is depressed the track-lever is locked to the switclrbar F, so that the said lever cannot move without also moving the switch-bar.

To render this device automatic, a vertical 8o shaft, f, is placed at a short distance from the track-lever and provided with an arm, K, also with a right-angled arm, L, which. extends outward and upward. Upon the upper end of the shaftfis loosely placed an arm, g, which projects into the path of the locomotive-pilot, and is held in position by a spiral spring, h, surrounding the shaftf, and attached at one end to the said shaft and at the other end to the arm 9. Upon an arm, z, projecting from 0 the side of the switch-bar F, is pivoted alever,

j, which is connected by a rod, k, with the arm K. In the upper end of the leverj is formed a slot,'l, at right angles to the plane of the movement of said lever, and in the slot Z is piv- 5 oted one end of a toggle, M, formed of two arms, on m, jointed together by the pivotal pin a. The opposite end of the toggle M is pivoted between a pair of ears, 0, projecting from the side of the lever H.

WVhen a train approaches the switch in the direction indicated by the arrow, it may safely pass over the switch in the usual way without aifecting any of the working parts other than to set the switch in a closed position,so as to render the main track practically continuous. When a train approaches the switch from the opposite direction, the pilot of the locomotive engages the lever g, bringing it into engagement with the arm L, thereby turning the shaft f, tripping the toggle M, allowing the lever H to fall by its own gravityinto a position parallel with the bar F, and, the track lever G being locked with the bar F, the engagement of the wheels with the track-lever pushes it away from the track-rail B, and thus moves the bar F and switch-rail O, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thereby rendering the track continuous, so that the train may pass over the switch in safety without danger of being run onto the siding.

It will be seen that, as the arm 9 is free to inove in the opposite direction, the passing of the train in from the switch toward the shaft f will produce no effect other than moving the lever 9 against the pressure of the spring h.

When it is desired to operate the switch by hand in the usual way, the lever H is raised and locked in the raised position by the toggle M, and if the attendant should leave the lever H in an elevated position the arm 9, shaft f, and arm K will be brought into action, as the arm 9 will be engaged by the locomotive, so as to turn the shaft f and draw upon the rod k, thereby turning the leverj and unlocking the toggle M, permitting the lever H to fall, and by moving the slide J forward lock the track-lever G fast to the bar F, thereby putting the track-rail in position to be engaged by the car-wheels, as before.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination,with the slotted switchrail-operating bar F, of the curved pivoted track-lever G, having a forked end embracing the bar F, the pin a, passing through the fork of the said track-lever and through the slot of the bar F, the slide J, and means for moving and locking the said slide, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the curved track- 5 lever G and the slotted switch-operating bar' F, of the slide J, yoke I, connected with the slide J, and the cam-lever H, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the track-lever G, bar F, slide J, joke I, the toggle M, lever j, rod 7c, shaftf, provided with the fixed arms K L, the movable arm 9, and spring h, connect iug the said arm 9 with the shaftf, substantially as specified.

JAMES B. SUFFERN.

Witnesses:

JOHN J. BARBAROW, WILLIAM H. Ross. 

